Introduction
The Bolton Excellency is a large-scale, high-end wedding venue designed to deliver premium guest experiences within the heart of Bolton. Behind the visual impact and architectural scale lies a critical priority: fire safety. With a multi-storey steel frame and large open atrium, protecting the structural steel from fire was essential to meet UK building regulations and ensure occupant safety.

Why Fire Protection Matters in Public Buildings
Public buildings in England and Wales must comply with strict fire safety regulations. Structural steel must maintain its load-bearing capacity long enough to allow safe evacuation during a fire.

Unprotected steel can reach critical temperatures of approximately 550°C within minutes. At this point, it begins to lose strength and can deform, increasing the risk of structural collapse.

Intumescent coatings are a key passive fire protection solution. When exposed to high temperatures, they expand to form an insulating char layer. This slows heat transfer to the steel, preserving its structural integrity and buying valuable evacuation time.

For venues like Bolton Excellency which accommodate large numbers of people, this protection is not optional—it is at the heart of their customer first policy.

Steelmaster 600WF was specified for the Excellency Plaza project as the primary intumescent coating system for all the structural steel beams and columns.

Key benefits of Steelmaster 600WF include:

• Up to 90 minutes fire protection, helping meet building regulation requirements for public structures.
• Independently tested and certified by Warringtonfire (Exova), ensuring proven performance and compliance.
• Water-based formulation with low VOC content, supporting environmentally responsible construction.
• High coverage rates, reducing material usage and application time.
• A total system approached with fire approved primers and topcoats.Up to 90 minutes fire protection, helping meet building regulation requirements for public structures.
• Independently tested and certified by Warringtonfire (Exova), ensuring proven performance and compliance.
• Water-based formulation with low VOC content, supporting environmentally responsible construction.
• High coverage rates, reducing material usage and application time.
• A total system approached with fire approved primers and topcoats.

Supporting Complex Steel Designs
For lightweight or hollow steel sections that heat up more rapidly, higher-performance systems such as Steelmaster 1200WF may be specified, offering up to 120 minutes or more of protection. This ensures that all structural elements, regardless of geometry, are adequately protected.

Environmental and Compliance Advantages
Steelmaster 1200WF contributes to modern sustainable building standards:

• Supports LEED and BREEAM certification schemes.
• Low VOC and water-based technology.
• Free from substances restricted under REACH regulations.
• Contributes to Green Building credits.

This aligns fire safety performance with environmental responsibility—an increasingly important requirement in commercial construction.

Free Fire Protection Estimation Service
To support accurate specification, AVACE offers a free estimation service. By submitting structural drawings and steel section details, a full report is provided including:

• Required dry film thickness per steel section to achieve the required fire rating.
• System recommendations including primers and topcoats
• Total paint requirements for the system selected including volume discounts and free delivery to site.

This ensures compliance, cost control, and correct product usage from the outset.

Conclusion
The Bolton Excellency project demonstrates how fire safety and architectural ambition must work together. By specifying Steelmaster 600WF, the development benefits from independently certified fire protection, regulatory compliance, and sustainable performance.

For public buildings, intumescent coatings are not just a specification detail—they are a critical life-safety system that protects both the structure and its occupants.